Table of Contents
Welcome to today’s daily digest! Today’s movies are themed around scarecrows. One is a slasher with a killer wearing a scarecrow costume, and the other is a supernatural horror movie about a cursed painting with a scarecrow in it. Take a look at my quick reviews below, and keep reading for some interesting news and daily trivia!
Movies of the Day
Die’ced: Reloaded
Star Rating: 2.5 out of 5 (average)
Die’ced: Reloaded was made as an homage to 1980s slasher movies. It’s actually supposed to be set during the 1980s, but some very obvious anachronisms negate that idea. It also appears to be heavily influenced by the Terrifier movies, but this is Terrifier-lite. The plot involves a killer, Benny, escaping from confinement and killing people on Halloween as he stalks a young woman. I won’t fixate on the Terrifier references, but some are too blatant to miss.
On its own though, there is a lot of potential in Die’ced: Reloaded. The practical gore is over-the-top and fun when it happens, but there isn’t as much as I’d hoped for (and the CGI blood embellishments are unnecessary) The story is thin, making it feel like just an homage to slashers without actually trying to make a fully-formed story of its own. If there had been more killing and gore, then the story wouldn’t have mattered as much (one can make up for the other). But as it is, the lack of either makes the pacing feel sluggish, and the characters feel disposable. It’s not bad though. It looks good, and there’s some fun to be had. I’d recommend it to slasher fans who are fairly forgiving. You can rent Die’ced: Reloaded on Prime Video.
Scarecrow
Star Rating: 3 out of 5 (pretty good)
Scarecrow (aka Espantaho) is a supernatural horror movie from the Philippines that is decent, but contains too many plot threads. The story begins with Monet (Judy Ann Santos) mourning the death of her father. From there, various story lines involve complicated family melodrama, Monet and her son possibly being kicked out of her house, multiple ghosts, and a cursed painting with a backstory that tangentially connects the original painter to the family drama. It’s a lot, but the basic premise is entertaining. The curse of the painting leads to a few fun death scenes, and the monster (the scarecrow) looks cool. The CGI isn’t always great, but it works fine. If you’re into horror movies from Southeast Asia, then give this one a watch. Scarecrow is currently on Netflix.
In the News
- KPop Demon Hunters is heading to theaters for sing-along screenings later this month. The official dates seem to be August 23rd and 24th, but I found dates in my area on August 22nd as well. You can see listings already on Fandango.
- Richard Stanley will write the script for Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 3. Stanley’s most recognizable co-writing efforts so far are Color Out of Space (2019) and The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996). (Variety)
- New Line is considering a prequel to Weapons. It is not known at this time how involved Zach Cregger might be with any potential prequel. (Deadline)
Birthdays
The master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock, was born on August 13th, 1899. Despite directing some of the best and most influential thrillers of all time, he never won an Academy Award for Best Director. But his legacy speaks for itself. Movies like Psycho (1960), Rear Window (1954), Vertigo (1958), and The Lodger (1927) remain influential to this day, and that’s just a small part of his filmography.
Lorraine De Selle was also born on August 13th, in 1951. Lorraine’s most memorable horror movies include Cannibal Ferox (1981) and House on the Edge of the Park (1980) in which she coincidentally plays two characters with the same name, Gloria. Lorraine also appeared in other exploitation movies like Women’s Prison Massacre (1983), Women’s Camp 119 (1977), and Madness (1980).
Events on This Day
On August 13th, 1992, Braindead (aka Dead Alive) was released in its native New Zealand. The horror comedy (emphasis on comedy) was probably the goriest movie ever made at the time of its release. Even today it’s usually listed among the bloodiest movies of all time, even if just for the lawn mower scene alone.
Two of the Friday the 13th movies were released on August 13th. First was Friday the 13th Part 3, released August 13th, 1982. Then, eleven years later to the day, Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday was released on August 13th, 1993. Part 3 is notable for being the movie where Jason gets his hockey mask. Jason Goes to Hell is notable for being, well, divisive, to put it nicely.
More movies released on August 13th:
- Yongary, Monster from the Deep (South Korea, 1967)
- Don’t Breathe 2 (2021)
Thank you again for reading! Are you going to see KPop Demon Hunters in a theater? I’m considering it, but I’m not a big fan of sing-along screenings. My only exception to that rule is when I went to see the Buffy the Vampire Slayer musical episode, “Once More, With Feeling,” in a theater many years ago.
